"Seems you are one of those owners who needs help and yet are determined to do it your way"
Junqueyardjim -I would understand your impatience with me more if this was not the first post you've made with regards to my problem. Others have been very helpful and at least not to my knowlege concerned with the sequence of steps I have chosen to make in the diagnosis of my car's problem -the sequence of which has been at least partly based upon the extreme weather conditions in my area and the fact that the car is out in that weather. I had some indication that the problem was fuel related so I checked that first -nobody else seemed to think it a bad idea.

But thank you very much for the rest of your input. No, the fuel obviously does not smell of gas. Gas would float on diesel, so much of what suggested it was fuel related would not have made sense. High mileage gas cars often have sludge (rust and just random bits that get introduced every time the cap is taken off) that does not show until the tank is below a certain level, that can stop an engine as mine stopped. I have now determined that it is not a fuel problem, so if what you say is true about there not being any reason for there not to be oil pressure with a spun bearing, then that's what I will look at next instead of the other possibilities.